1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a method and apparatus for locating and conveying a sheet-like body where, when a sheet-like body such as a veneer sheet (hereinafter, referred to as a veneer sheet) or the like is conveyed to a downstream or next step, the attitude of the sheet-like body is corrected to a state where a downstream or leading end portion of the sheet-like body in a conveying direction thereof is generally perpendicular to the conveying direction, and one end portion of the sheet-like body in a direction perpendicular to the conveying direction thereof is aligned at a predetermined position and located.
2. Description of the Related Art
Conventionally, an apparatus which, when a veneer sheet is conveyed to the next step, positions a downward side ed or leading end of the veneer sheet in a conveying direction thereof in a state where it is generally perpendicular to the conveying direction and aligns one side end portion of the veneer sheet at a predetermined position, thereby locating the veneer sheet has been proposed in, for example, Japanese Patent Publication 01-14138.
As shown with a schematic plan view in FIG. 19, this apparatus is provided on a conveying-out side, or on a right side in the drawing, of a known adhesive applying machine 1 with a pair of upper and lower rolls for applying adhesive to a surface and a back surface of a veneer sheet 2 with conveyors 3 comprising a plurality of disc-like rolls which have axial center lines in a direction perpendicular to a conveying direction for conveying a veneer sheet in left and right directions and which are driven in forward and reverse directions, a stopper 4 which is movable between a position where it abuts against the veneer sheet conveyed by the conveyors 3 to block movement thereof and a position where it does not abut against the veneer sheet positioned below, a detector 5 which detects that the upstream side end of the veneer sheet 2 in the conveying direction has passed a position of the stopper 4, a stinging and holding member 9 which has many needle-like members to sting the veneer sheet 2 from a surface side thereof and which are continuously arranged in a direction perpendicular to the conveying direction of the veneer sheet 2, the stinging and holding member 9 being movable in upward and downward directions and left and right directions shown with arrows in FIG. 19 and being capable of being ascended and descended between a position where the needle-like members sting a veneer sheet and a position where the stinging and holding member 9 does not abut against a veneer sheet, and a detector 30 which detects one side end portion of a veneer sheet in a direction perpendicular to the conveying direction of the veneer sheet.
In the apparatus, the pair of rolls of the adhesive applying machine 1 and the conveyors 3 are respectively driven so as to convey a veneer sheet 2 in the right direction, the stopper 4 is caused to stand by at the position where it does not abut against a veneer sheet and the stinging and holding member 9 is further caused to stand by at an illustrated position where it does not abut against a veneer sheet. In this state, the veneer sheet 2 positioned on the left side of the adhesive applying machine 1 is fed into the adhesive applying machine 1 such that a conveying direction of the veneer sheet 2 corresponds to a grain or fiber direction of the veneer sheet. The veneer sheet 2 is applied with an adhesive on its both sides and it is fed out to the conveyors 3 and is thereafter conveyed by the conveyors 3. When it is detected by the detector 5 that the upstream side end or a trailing end of the veneer sheet 2 has passed the position of the stopper 4, the conveyors 3 are stopped and the stopper 4 is ascended up to a position where it abuts against the veneer sheet. Next, when the conveyors 3 are reversely rotated to convey the veneer sheet in the reverse direction, the entire upstream side end or trailing end of the veneer sheet 2 is caused to abut against the stopper 4 such that the attitude of the veneer sheet 2 is corrected. Next, after the stinging and holding member 9 is descended to sting and hold the veneer sheet 2, the stinging and holding member 9 is ascended, and it is moved in the right direction on FIG. 19 and is also moved upward. When the detector 30 detects the one side end portion of the veneer sheet 2 by the movements, the upward movement of the stinging and holding member 9 is stopped and the member 9 is moved only in the right direction. When the veneer sheet 2 reaches a predetermined position, the veneer sheet 2 is separated from the stinging and holding member 9 by a separating member (not shown). The veneer sheets 2 thus conveyed are stacked one on another in a state that the ends of the sheets 2 are generally aligned in an imaginary line L.
In the conventional apparatus, however, since such a constitution has been employed that the veneer sheet which is being conveying is re-held by the stinging and holding member 9 and located, it takes an extra time for re-holding the veneer sheet, which is made it difficult to increase efficiency or productivity or efficiency.
In order to solve the above-described problem, according to one aspect of the present invention, there is provided a method for locating and conveying a sheet-like body, comprising the steps of causing a downstream side end portion of a sheet-like body conveyed by a travelling conveying member to abut against a blocking member to correct the attitude of the sheet-like body in such a state that the downstream side end of the sheet-like body is perpendicular to the conveying direction of the sheet-like body; moving the conveying member in a direction perpendicular to the conveying direction until one side end of the sheet-like body in the direction perpendicular to the conveying direction reaches a predetermined position and stopping movement of the conveying member in the direction perpendicular to the conveying direction; and moving the blocking member to a position where the blocking member does not abut against the sheet-like body.
According to another aspect of the invention, there is provided an apparatus for locating and conveying a sheet-like body, comprising: a conveying member which conveys a sheet-like body in a conveying direction by travelling thereof and which can reciprocate in an X direction perpendicular to the conveying direction; a moving mechanism which reciprocates the conveying member in the X direction; a blocking member which can reciprocate between a position where the blocking member abuts against the sheet-like body conveyed in the conveying direction by the conveying member to block conveyance of the sheet-like body and a position where the blocking member allows passing of the sheet-like body; a first detector which detects whether or not the downstream side end of the sheet-like body is positioned to abut against the blocking member which stands by at a position where the blocking member prevents the conveyance; a second detector which detects that one side end of the sheet-like body in the direction perpendicular to the conveying direction of the sheet-like body has reached the predetermined position by movement of the conveying member in the X direction effected by actuation of the moving mechanism; a controller which performs such control that both of moving the blocking member at the position where the blocking member allows passing of the sheet-like body and actuating the moving mechanism to move the conveying member in the X direction are simultaneously performed or either one thereof is first performed on the basis of a signal form the first detector which has detected the downward side end of the sheet-like body conveyed by the conveying member in the state where the blocking member stands by at the position where the blocking member prevents the conveyance, and the moving mechanism is then stopped on the basis of a signal from the second detector which has detected the sheet-like body.
Since the present invention has been constituted in the above manner, correction of the attitude of a sheet-like body and locating thereof in the direction perpendicular to the conveying direction of the sheet-like body can be performed effectively.